Family Portrait
by CCKins
Summary: -Sequel to Hitomi Assassin- It has been two years. The Mugen Tenshin Clan are under attack. Shiden's life is nearing the end. Kasumi's sanity is in shreds. Hayate is connected with many murders. Ayane is becoming suicidal. Ayame wants her family back.
1. Prologue

**Family Portrait  
****Prologue**

An aged man trudged through the thick fog, carrying a bouquet of pink roses. Indeed, he looked very old, his wrinkles looked more like deep grooves within his skin, his reddened eyes that were always downcast, not to mention his overgrown hair and beard, both pure white. At least they would have been had he washed regularly. However, he was not as old as people made him out to be. He used to have a youthful body with defined muscles. He used to have a lot of stamina that would have made his walk a lot easier. He used to have self control flowing through his mind. But he lost it all. He'd lost _everything._

He used to have a family. He used to be a proud father with a loving wife, whom he cherished as much as his daughter. Now they were gone. When they both left him, he started to lose other things; his job, his health, his _sanity_. All that remained was pain, an everlasting whirlpool engulfing his very being. He didn't know why he chose to carry on, why he chose to continue living. He had nothing to live for, and he was an elderly man. Opportunities to fix his life didn't come knocking on his door. He doubted he would take them.

Only death could separate him from his empty void.

His long walk had taken him to a graveyard. Bushes of colourful flowers were supposed to lift the heavy weight of death that accompanied such a location, but the multiple tombstones only repelled the softened aura. Rotting flowers rested next to many of the decaying tombstones, the result of past storms laying helpless on the ground, scattered around the dirt. The man walked through the uneven rows and columns of each deathbed, spotting his destination. He stopped before two tombstones, the one on his left aged and worn with time, yet the one to his right was cleaner, newer, and more recent.

The man let the plastic wrapping slip away from the flowers he clutched, then shared them into two bunches. He put one by each tombstone, then kneeled – despite the pain it caused him and the wet mud – and prayed.

He was as still as the wind for several minutes. A hooded figure approached the man, taking cautious baby steps. It couldn't be identified as either man or woman as the cloak it wore over itself concealed any obvious signs. It watched as the old man struggled to his feet, falling back in the mud after his first attempt. Nevertheless, he began his second as the figure went to go and help him.

The man did not decline the offer of help, and the stranger worked to get the old man to his feet. With easy success and minimum damage, the man thanked the figure in a raspy voice. It had been a while since his voice was of any use to him, as he spent all of his days crying. However, the figure did not make haste to offer a reply, or at all for that matter. It stood, staring at the man.

"Do I know you?" the man questioned, his throat already aching from exercising his voice box. The figure made no reply once again, before it decided against it. Hands reached for the hood by it's head, then pulled it back by the shoulders. The man gasped, his eyes widening. "It's... you... Why are you here?"

The figure stepped closer to the man, only for him to back away again. His hand reached for the new gravestone, though he was stopped with abrupt force when he felt something impale right through his chest. The figure donned a blade, presumed to be from nowhere, now stuck all the way into the man. He screamed, the sudden agony sending a spasm throughout his body. He lost his footing, fell backwards, the back of his skull crunched against the gravestone. When he reached the floor, the person could tell he was dead. His hair and garments were being dyed red, blood flowing to form a puddle around him. The person was satisfied, so pulled the dagger from the man, leaving it stained with blood as it was slipped back down an oversized sleeve.

The figure then vanished.

* * *

**OH MAH GAWD! So much description!**

**So here is a little early something for Christmas, as I didn't want y'all to wait till January for the sequel to _Hitomi Assassin_. However, the first Part of the story will come in 2013/very late 2012. Depends when I get it done...**

**So, who is the figure, you ask? Who is the man? Who do the two tombstones belong to? Eh, figure it out yourself. I'd love to hear your wild guesses...  
_'OMG, the figure is tots Ryu and the old man is his father and the tombstones belong to his mother and Kureha!'_**


	2. Part 1

**Family Portrait  
****Part 1**

Hayate stood in the hallway inside the main household. A gentle breeze kept him cool as he observed a large picture being held captive in a golden frame. It was located next to his parent's room, so he had made as little sound as possible when we went to view this picture. It was a stunning family portrait, drawn by one of the clan's finest artists of the five people that made Mugen Tenshin.

The first was Hayate's father, Shiden, looking very proud and respectful in the drawing. The second was Shiden's wife, Ayame. Her youthfulness was captured flawlessly by the artist. Hayate stared at the painting of himself. It resembled him, and he resembled both of his parents, mixing together the stern and kind look. The smile that he wore in the picture was small, yet held much meaning behind it.

The fourth was Ayane. She was situated to right of the frame, next to Hayate and under her mother. She too wore a smile, yet it did not suit her. Hayate remembered back to when the family posed for the picture to be drawn, Ayane did not smile. Before his father could scold her for her misbehaviour, the artist said that any changes to the picture could be made afterwards. One such change was Ayane's smile. Hayate frowned, glaring at it. The smile was far too wide for Ayane's tastes. Her smiles wore more like mischievous smirks, as Ayane was always planning something in her head. The artist must not have known much about Ayane, because the smile showed off a face that belonged to anyone else but the kunoichi.

Hayate looked to the last member of the family in the picture. Kasumi. While the artist spent a lot of time to make Kasumi as beautiful as she was, her smile was also off. The smile in the picture was small and shy, yet Kasumi was always overexcited when she was with her family. The artist had not picked this up either as Kasumi was the other member who didn't smile during the pose shot. Like Ayane, her smile was etched in afterwards because of orders from Ayame. But that was not the thing that bothered him most. It was Kasumi's eyes. Ninja artists always worked to achieve the essence of each person they were drawing, and the artist hired was no exception. Yes, although the picture in front of him was nothing more than a still image, Hayate felt that he could still sense the guilt that bathed in Kasumi's eyes.

The guilt of taking someone's life.

As a ninja, Kasumi was not unfamiliar to the act of murder. Was it not she who slayed her own uncle to avenge Hayate himself? Did she not kill the shinobi to defend herself when she was once a runaway? Had she not previously helped Ryu Hayabusa on one of his missions – missions always filled with the death and destruction of many a creature or human? Whether Kasumi enjoyed it or not, murder would always be a part of her life because, as a kunoichi, murder _was_ her life.

Yet these were all excuses. The life that Kasumi took was not the twisted mind of an old man, neither creatures of hell that wanted nothing more than to see her suffer. No, Kasumi had taken the life of a friend, a sister figure, an innocent teenager. Someone who Hayate had been friendly with, someone who had saved his life in a situation of certain death.

But was it not worth it? Kasumi had killed a dear friend of theirs and she was allowed to live with her family again. Although they had both lost someone close to them, they had gained each other – in the end, that was all they had ever wanted. It was a miracle that the Seniors had allowed her back into the clan.

Thoughts were redirected back to the celebration party that the clan held for Kasumi's return. Ayame had been overwhelmed with happiness, an endless flow of happy tears that had lasted for a couple of days. It was as if Kasumi had forgotten the sin she had committed for that night, elated in such a way that Hayate had never seen her before. She was being reacquainted with friends in the clan, including Ayane. Although her younger sister was in no way as joyful as Kasumi or Ayame, she made an effort to smile, speaking as few words as possible to Kasumi. They only spoke together once during the whole party, Ayane purposely keeping her distance. Everybody knew better than to invade her privacy. Shiden had greeted his daughter warmly, spending hours with her, praising her. Hearing nothing but nice words from the man had surprised everyone around him. Yet, Kasumi didn't seem to spend as much time with Hayate as anyone else, even though it was because of him that she was allowed back into the village. Then again, Hayate was lucky to catch any time with his sister, as she was occupied with so many other people, as well as the fact that she had chose to ignore him for a while. He didn't blame her. Like Ayane, he was forced to keep his distance from Kasumi, much to his dismay.

A few weeks after the party was when Ayame had decided that the whole family should have a family portrait done. The family posed for the rough sketch. A week afterwards, the final product was complete, framed, then hung.

It has been two years since.

Hayate gently ran the tips of his fingers across the canvas, feeling the skilful strokes used. It still looked as fresh as the day it was given to them.

"Careful." Hayate turned his head to see his mother looking at him, a smile on her face. "He died, remember? We can't simply ask for a replacement."

Hayate gave a nod in reply, before bowing slightly. "Good morning mother," he said. He bent, offering his cheek to the woman, who took it and gave a small kiss to. He was about to stand straight, but a pair of warm, petite hands blocked his vision. He heard a lot of giggling – from his mother and from another girl.

"Guess who!"

Hayate couldn't help the smile forcing its way onto his face, although he tried hard not to. "Good morning Kasumi."

When the hands were removed, Kasumi pushed her face against his as she hugged him. She laughed, kissing his cheek. Hayate could only chuckle awkwardly, trying to push his sister away from him. "K-Kasumi, please..."

"Oh, don't mind him, dear," Ayame smiled, addressing Kasumi. "We both know he enjoys it." She turned to Hayate now. "You are never too old for your sister's love!"

"Mother is right, brother," Kasumi sang, planting another kiss on his cheek. Hayate grunted, still trying to control his sudden happiness and rid of the smile on his face. Kasumi helped by letting go of him, resorting to hugging and kissing their mother instead. He watched the two ladies, straightening out his creased garb. His mother smothering him was one thing, adding his sister to the mix was another.

Kasumi spotted someone walking the path that led to the household. Immediately, she separated from Ayame, calling to the person. "Good morning Ayane!"

Ayane made no notion as to coming any quicker than her original pace. Kasumi saw her give a nod, still walking over. Once she reached the bottom of the steps that went up to the platform, she stopped, bowing. "Good morning."

Even though it was morning, Ayane was fully dressed in her usual purple shozoku, her arms free of any shielding. Her blood red eyes connected with Hayate's own, she standing from her crouching position. "Hayate, Master Shiden wishes to see us now. He needs to discuss important matters with us."

With any reason to smile gone, Hayate found it easier to keep an unreadable face. "Please lead the way," he said, meeting Ayane at the bottom of the steps. He glanced back to Kasumi and Ayame. They merely waved, then found interest in something else. "Do you know what the news is about?" Hayate asked Ayane. She shook her head.

"Whatever it is though," Ayane started. "It's bad news."

* * *

**I know authors that update super quick. Me? Whenever I feel like. All I offer are short chapters and lengthy author's notes...  
****Yeah, felt kinda weird when writing this chapter? I think it's just the ****characterisation. I mean, I don't really know how Kasumi would act seen as she's always on the run in the games. But it's Hayate. I'd be super happy around Hayate, regardless of how he feels around me. No direct interaction between Ayane and Kasumi as of yet (phew!).**

**Something completely random but I kinda wanna point out: Kasumi's whole 'Welcome home after breaking our laws and killing lots of our men!' party is like the parable 'The Prodigal Son'. Kasumi goes off after breaking the laws, and when she comes back everyone parties, then Ayane is all jealous because she was the faithful one all along, like, 'Dude, where's _my_ party?' Well, Kasumi and Ayane do have a Cain and Abel relationship, so it wouldn't be the first reference to the Bible. :P**

**I will finish off by saying thanks for making it this far, how about a quick click of my username to go onto mah profile, where I have started a little poll? I'd like to hear what you think! **

**And as always, thanks for reading. (Dammit, Vsauce, why are you in my head?!)**


	3. Part 2

**Family Portrait  
****Part 2**

The Mugen Tenshin village had a great hall, used for large meetings where old men would discuss and debate different topics regarding different aspects of the village. As there was quite a large community, it had to be thoroughly maintained.

Although he was the leader, the hall still overwhelmed Hayate, just the same as when he had first entered – Ayane even more so. Shiden had failed to inform them both of all the responsibilities they'd have to be taking once they were promoted to the position of importance. Having the fighting abilities needed was all well and good, but if they couldn't strategize the safety of their people, then they weren't fit to be leaders.

A strong abundance of incense filled the hall – although it was empty. When meetings would take place, tall candles would be lit to offer light. Portraits of past leaders and heroes decorated the golden wall, plants lined the floor. Other important objects such as swords and vases were also used as decoration, hung against the wall or put on stone podiums. The walls, floor and ceiling all had a differing, yet equally intricate, design. The furniture was made from mahogany, carved by the best craftsmen.

Hayate and Ayane ignored all of this as they headed towards a door in the top corner of the room. Hayate slid it open, allowing Ayane to enter first. The room they entered was nothing compared to the hall. It was small, a dull brown colour all around. There was a little table in the centre of the room, a white haired man sitting by it. Behind him was a window, letting the light of day through.

Ayane and Hayate kneeled on a soft futon mat each, then both bowed their heads in unison. "Master," Hayate started. "I heard you have urgent news to tell us?"

Shiden stared down upon his son and niece. Ayane used to feel intimidated by Shiden's glare, until she realized that was his only expression. A tense silence filled the room, neither Ayane or Hayate breaking their gaze from the older man. Shiden swapped between both, before stopping on Hayate. Ayane watched the deadly father-son staring contest with little patience. However, she knew better than to disrespect Shiden. Her attitude was the one thing he disliked more than anything.

"Kidnappings," Shiden said, lowering his eyes to the table. Hayate and Ayane blinked in surprise to see three pictures on the wood. They were not there when entering the room. Shiden had not moved a muscle other than his eyes. Then again, his abilities did exceed both Ayane and Hayate ten fold.

In each picture was a small family, a black circle around one member of each family. In each picture, the family member circled was a small baby. It wasn't hard for the two young leaders to piece together what Shiden was going to talk about.

"Over the past month, these three children have been taken away from their families, with no lead as to who could have done it," Shiden continued. "Only yesterday night did I receive a report from another family that their child had been wandering around the village at night. The child had apparently seen someone, _heard_ them calling out to him."

"You want us to investigate?" Ayane questioned. A short nod was her reply.

"Why are we only hearing of this now?" Hayate asked. Shiden caught onto the annoyed tone that accompanied the question.

"As leader of the clan, missing babies are not top priority," Shiden answered. "I had other members look for them."

"So why are they suddenly so important to us?" Ayane shrugged.

"I've noticed a pattern in the kidnappings." Shiden pointed to the baby in the first picture. "She is only a few months old." His finger moved to the baby in the next picture. "He is a year old. And he is two years old." His finger tapped on the baby in the last picture. "The child that was almost taken away yesterday was three. I don't know why the kidnapper has done this, but it means that Ayane and Kasumi are most at risk in our family."

"Do I look as gullible as some..." Ayane stopped when she saw the glare her uncle gave her. She cleared her throat, instead saying, "We'll find the kidnapper before he gets past five, Master. I won't have a chance to be considered."

"Master," Hayate spoke up. "Have you considered that the kidnapper might be somebody from the clan?" Ayane gave her brother a puzzled look, he noticing. "It'd be unlikely that an outsider would know the age of each child without being acquainted with the family in some way. Therefore, they'd have to be part of the clan or very close to it. The only clan we let that close to us is the Hayabusa Clan."

"I have considered both," Shiden said. "But it doesn't make any sense for either party to do such a thing."

"There have been traitors before," Ayane seethed.

"_Ayane!_" Hayate snapped, his palm slamming against the table. His sudden outburst had caused even Shiden to jump slightly. Ayane couldn't make her eyes come into contact with Hayate's own.

"I... I didn't mean..." Ayane breathed out, but Hayate didn't listen. He turned back to Shiden, moving a strand of misplaced hair from his eyes. He gathered the pictures together, putting them safely into his garb.

"If that is all, Master, then we will make our leave," Hayate said.

Shiden looked from Ayane to Hayate. "I want you to start your investigations at the Hayabusa Village. Do so subtly. Understood?" Both nodded. "That is all."

The two leaders bowed their head, before standing. Hayate held open the door for Ayane, yet did not meet her gaze when she looked up at him. She cast her eyes down at the floor as she walked through the large hall, Hayate behind her. Before they left the building completely, Ayane turned to him.

"I didn't mean Kasumi," Ayane said. "It was general. There are always going to be traitors."

Hayate slid open the door, leading outside of the hall. "And it's our duty to find this one, before he steals any more children."

Ayane nodded, walking outside. Hayate closed the door as he left.

"Sorry."

Ayane stopped and turned her head, only to have Hayate walk past her. She followed him, a smile on her face. The two walked until they reached the bridge outside of the entrance to their village. Ayane rubbed her bare arms. "Aren't we going to get changed?"

"There's no need," Hayate replied. "It's just going to be a quick, friendly visit."

The two walked across the bridge until they reached the other side. Ayane kept on going, wanting to make the long journey as short as possible. She turned around and saw that Hayate had stopped though. She sighed. "What is it?"

Hayate held a finger to his lips. He turned his head, looking into the forest ahead. He started heading in the direction, leaving Ayane blank. She sighed again, staying close to her brother. Then she heard something. It sounded like some sort of moan. Hayate headed in the direction it came from, Ayane at his heels. They kept on for a couple of minutes, the voice becoming clearer, yet even more distant.

Finally, they both stopped. Both their eyes widened at what was in front of them. A woman, pale faced, with three babies on her lap. She squinted, although she was sitting in the shade of the forest, dragging out one word.

"Water."

Hayate had turned back almost immediately. Ayane was about to follow, but he stopped her. "Stay here. I'll be quick." He then began to run back to the village.

Ayane looked at the woman. She had greasy black hair that was in quite a mess, and dark eyes. She looked to be in her middle ages, but was very thin. She looked at the babies around the woman. They were asleep. Ayane still recognised them as the three missing babies they were trying to find. '_At least we have less work to do._' Ayane thought. She heard a shuffling sound; looked down to see that one of the babies – the youngest – was stirring. She was beginning to wake up.

Ayane bent down to rub her back to try and get her to go back to sleep, but the baby turned to see who was touching her. As soon as she saw Ayane, her face scrunched up. Ayane panicked. Her cries would wake the other infants. Quickly, she picked up the baby girl, holding her at arm's length. The baby shrieked, throwing her limbs around. Ayane tried jogging the baby carefully, making funny sounds as she did so, but the crying girl didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Ayane.

There were whimpers from the woman's lap, and Ayane had noticed that the other babies had been woken up. The eldest was shaking the woman, the middle had the same scrunched up face that the youngest had only moments ago. Ayane felt as if she wanted to cry herself. She turned back to the baby in her hands, disgusted at the mix of tears and snot running into her large, screaming mouth. Ayane then started to dance a little, shaking the baby in time to her moves – yet the crying did not deter.

The sound of a cap unscrewing stopped Ayane from her dance, seeing Hayate with a small flask, kneeling next to the woman. He held the bottle to her limp lips, carefully draining the water into her mouth. The thought of Hayate seeing the killer kunoichi dancing like an idiot made Ayane blush. She stared daggers at the baby in her hands, even though she couldn't see anything through her tears.

The woman's eyelids fluttered open after a minute. She gulped down the rest of the water Hayate offered her, breathing quite heavily. "Thank you," she said, her voice hoarse. She coughed.

"These are the babies we were supposed to be looking for," Ayane called over the wailing baby. Hayate inspected the three children and nodded. He turned to the woman.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She began to nod, but let out another throaty cough, then shook her head. "I'm going to take you to my village. It's very close by. Can you walk?" The woman looked at the two boys on her lap, so Hayate picked them both up. Ayane was amazed at how easily he managed to carry both of the toddlers close without either of them crying. The youngest boy gripped tightly to the collar of Hayate's blue under-shirt, the eldest just looking at the clan leader with an awesome amount of interest. The woman used the tree she was leaned up against to help herself up. She wobbled, moving close to Hayate. She draped an arm around him for support, then nodded her head. Hayate took small steps so that the woman could keep up with him, Ayane taking her chance to move in front.

"Hold her close," Hayate said. Ayane knew he was taking about the snotty baby in her hands and grunted. She held her breath, bringing the baby close to her chest, cradling her. The three walked back to the village, taking their time. Ayane wondered why Hayate had immediately trusted the woman, and hadn't interrogated her yet. Still, she had faith that he knew what he was doing, as he wouldn't want to endanger the clan.

By the time they had made it back to the village, the baby in Ayane's arms had stopped crying, instead gurgling and patting the purple butterfly design on Ayane's chest. However, the woman's condition seemed to worsen. Her coughing fits were more frequent and painful, she barely able to support herself. Ayane followed Hayate past a few huts, ignoring the looks that people were giving her. Soon, they had reached their destination; the infirmary. The kunoichi supported the stranger up the steps, leading her into the small hut. A nurse appeared at the door as soon as it was opened. She bowed at the sight of Hayate and Ayane. "Oh Master, what can I do for you?" she asked, offering a sweet smile.

"I need you to take care of this lady for us." Hayate gestured by nodding his head towards the pale woman. "And to check that these infants are in a good condition."

Ayane thrust the baby she was carrying upon the nurse. She looked at the child given to her, nodding to Ayane. "Of course. I will get some results back to you right away!" She called for assistance – which quickly arrived. More female nurses took the baby boys from Hayate and lay the woman down on a futon, herbs and medicines being prepared. The two clan leaders left the commotion of the infirmary for the peace of the nature outside.

"How can you trust her?" Ayane said. "She might be the kidnapper we are looking for."

"True," Hayate said. "but it'd be hard to question her if she can barely keep herself conscious. She has to make a recovery first before we start any sort of interrogation." Ayane nodded in agreement. "But... it looked as if she had saved the children. They didn't seem frightened to be around her – they were sleeping on her lap. It's as if they could tell that she isn't a threat."

"What if she is?"

"We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

**AS WILL YOOOOU!**

**This happened to me with the last chapter as well. I updated on deviantART, talking about how the next chapter of this will come out in about 7 months or so, and BAM, virtually the next day, you get another chapter from me. This chapter was actually very quick and easy to write, because I had it all planned out. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to, but hey, at least it's longer than the last chapter. What do you guys think?**

**I dunno, I feel as if the chapters I write have nothing to do with the actual story, although as the author I KNOW that everything is going to connect together (and how), then the plot will show itself, naked and all. If you've read my profile, you'll see that I say I may change the rating to an M, and right now, the story seems like a comedy with a random murder scene as the prologue. But I do hope for more *SPOILERS SPOILERS*.**

**For now, enjoy baby-sitting Ayane. ;D**


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